@SteveBellovin@infosec.exchange cover
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SteveBellovin

@[email protected]

I'm an affiliate scholar at Georgetown's Institute for Technology Law and Policy, and a computer science professor emeritus and former affiliate law prof at Columbia University. Author of "Thinking Security". Dinosaur photographer. Not ashamed to say that I’m still masking, because long Covid terrifies me.

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@kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

The U.S. State Dept is reportedly developing an online portal that will enable people in Europe and elsewhere to see content banned by their govts, "including alleged hate speech and terrorist propaganda," as a way to counter censorship. The site will be hosted at "freedom.gov." https://www.reuters.com/world/us-plans-online-portal-bypass-content-bans-europe-elsewhere-2026-02-18/

SteveBellovin ,
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@kevinrothrock Does that include Colbert's interview with Talarico?

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

Airbus, announcing a major recall, says a recent incident involving an A320-family aircraft revealed that solar flares may corrupt data critical to the functioning of flight controls. https://www.reuters.com/business/aerospace-defense/airbus-issues-major-a320-recall-after-flight-control-incident-2025-11-28/

SteveBellovin ,
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@w7voa Yikes! But I'm quite unclear how a software fix (and in particular reverting to an older version, as opposed to installing new code that keeps multiple widely-spaced copies of the data) can deal with data corruption due to solar flares.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

CBS News’ Nancy Cordes: Your DoJ OIG “reported this year that there was thorough vetting by DHS and the FBI of these Afghans who were brought into the US so why do you blame the Biden administration?"

President Trump: “Because they let them in. Are you stupid? Are you a stupid person?”

SteveBellovin ,
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@w7voa Naturally, the reporter to whom he said that was a woman.

@georgetakei@universeodon.com avatar georgetakei , to random

Powerful.

Spray-painted yellow stencil on a sidewalk reads “NEIGHBOR KIDNAPPED HERE” and, underneath, “ABOLISH ICE.” A few dry leaves are scattered around the pavement. The tweet above says, “Seattle is using stencils when neighbors go missing.”
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SteveBellovin ,
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@georgetakei Reminds me of sidewalk plaques I've seen in Europe. Here are examples from Amsterdam and Rome.

Qui Abitava ROSSANA CALO NATA 1941 ARRESTATA 18.10.1943 Deporta Auschwitz Assassinata 23.10.1943

@evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

I'm re-reading The Big Con, by David Maurer, because I love the argot of early 20th century confidence men, but also because a book about how grifting works holds great explanatory power generations after it was written.

SteveBellovin ,
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@evacide A wonderful book.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

The White House pardons of last year’s turkeys, Peach and Blossom, declared "null and void” because then-President Biden used an autopen, says President Trump (adding the two birds were then sent on their way to “processing” but he’s now issued a valid pardon for them).

SteveBellovin ,
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@w7voa His pettiness knows no bounds.

@evacide@hachyderm.io avatar evacide , to random

I don't usually indulge in "The cost of living has gone up" discourse, but I just paid $120 to repair the soles on a pair of boots and I am ready to storm the Bastille.

SteveBellovin ,
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@evacide Watch out for all of the gold leaf trim it's been decorated with of late.

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

The steep tariffs President Trump issued in August led to a significant contraction in imports and the trade deficit, newly released data shows. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/19/us/politics/trumps-tariffs-trade-data.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share

SteveBellovin ,
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@w7voa Shocked, etc.

@jerry@infosec.exchange avatar jerry , to random

I do feel like MS/Azure, AWS, and Cloudflare need to do a better job of coordinating their outages so some of yall can get some much needed time away from IT

SteveBellovin ,
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@jerry Back at Bell Labs, when "the" primary timesharing machine was down (hey, I'm talking early 1980s), it was labeled "theory day".

@kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

yep

SteveBellovin ,
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@kevinrothrock Well, we knew Trump wanted to build an arch in Washington…

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

Paul Ingrassia, the president’s embattled nominee to lead the Office of Special Counsel, told a group of fellow Republicans in a text chain the MLK Jr. holiday should be “tossed into the seventh circle of hell” and said he has “a Nazi streak,” according to a text chat viewed by Politico. https://www.politico.com/news/2025/10/20/paul-ingrassia-racist-text-messages-nazi-00613608

SteveBellovin ,
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@w7voa Only the finest people.

@mattblaze@federate.social avatar mattblaze , to random

Waldorf-Astoria Hotel (and Neighbors), NYC, 2017.

All the pixels, with room services, at https://www.flickr.com/photos/mattblaze/32609074081

A dual-tower early 20th century skyscraper hotel building, flanked by a modern office tower at left and a large residential building at right, on a stormy night.
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SteveBellovin ,
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@mattblaze According to Mike Wallace's wonderful book "Greater Gotham", the hotel was a merger/peace treaty between two feuding cousins, William Waldorf Astor and John Jacob Astor IV. "A clause in the contract stipulated that the two properties could be sealed off in the event of a falling out."

@w7voa@journa.host avatar w7voa , to random

The president, on his Truth Social account, posts an AI video portraying him as 'King Trump' piloting a fighter jet which drops shit on 'No Kings' demonstrators. https://truthsocial.com/@realDonaldTrump/115398251623299921

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SteveBellovin ,
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@w7voa No wonder there were signs today about the Turd Reich.

@kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

I wonder if this still happens if the ICE officer who did this had been wearing a mask, as usual? Remarkable how accountability materializes when there's a face to the violence.

SteveBellovin ,
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@kevinrothrock @cstross nailed it in “The Annihilation Score”, in 2015.

“HM Inspector of Constabulary will have to approve these,” he says bluntly, “and I can tell you up front that the Uniform Committee will probably reject them, or ask for big changes.” “Wait what?” I stop dead. “But we need—” “Item: opaque face masks are right out, even for riot gear. Forbidden by policy, it makes it hard to identify officers from CCTV footage. Item: I see no badge numbers on display—ditto on identification.
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  • Reply
    • @kevinrothrock@infosec.exchange avatar kevinrothrock , to random

    lol

    SteveBellovin ,
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    @kevinrothrock From Trump, that was a compliment.